To whom it may concern and if you know what I mean in this contribution. Music is not just about starting an idea fast but also and most importantly about completing it. Kind of like laughs best he who laughs last. kind of like all is well that ends well, kind of like the end justifies the means, kind of like eyes on the prize; kind of like finish what you started… I can go on and on and on and on .... the END is what matters! bottom line.

A friend of mine, a great guy and a great engineer who lives in long Island and who sometimes helps me with mastering my music once told me: “ I have started so many songs and they are sitting in my many gears, I hope I’ll be able to finish them all one day” laughter.

A Computer DAW uses sends, returns, and buses in the same way as a hard-wired mixer or a Hardware DAW - you just have more flexible routing options in your computer DAW. you have to know your gear well, this is a “sine qua non”
The computer option wouldn’t make sense if it did exactly what say the Xs alone can do, and only did it slower. the computer is about giving you more options and in some cases it completes the Hardware DAW. So use it for what it’s useful for and don’t expect speed or flow where it’s not really the intended purpose. We all know computers must boot up, give it some time it will get there.
If you are prone to losing quick inspiration or interesting ideas, invest in something that can help you that way. It’s ok to have both the XS and the Computer DAW. it doesn’t have to be one or the other and because of their purposes it wouldn’t be fair to compare the two.

I know digidesign like to tell their customers that they can do everything within protools without ever using Any additional Board or synths. Yes, they are wrong for saying that. It’s been proven in this thread that you can’t just sit down and start working on your ideas with a computer based Workstation, I agree. And there are many more reasons that can prove them wrong. 

Well, I hope someone out there agrees with me.
Peace for now

to me, hardware is computer is hardware is computer....

its just the interface and workflow which are different.

i like those old keyboards with 32Khz samples and 24bit DACs , somehow sound sweet.

I don’t mind replacing gears using a powerful tablet PC though. I just hate desktop/mouse/laptops.

Mlg4ever, emulate a yammy XS interface, install it in OpenLabs keyboard. u won’t know the difference. its not the hardware, its the interface

zzzxtreme - 08 March 2010 02:13 AM

Mlg4ever, emulate a yammy XS interface, install it in OpenLabs keyboard. u won’t know the difference. its not the hardware, its the interface

Yes, that too. But I think the issue is the gentleman who started this thread asked a very simple question but the answer to it can’t and shouldn’t be as simple as I do or don’t. There’s too much merit involved either way. But very good thread.
peace

zzzxtreme - 08 March 2010 02:11 AM

I don’t mind replacing gears using a powerful tablet PC though. I just hate desktop/mouse/laptops.

if you hate the mouse then you probably know how I feel. I do too. that’s why I try to use dedicated consoles that replicate every magic the mouse does and assign it to some button on the front panel.
the mouse takes a lot away from the joy of saying “ I am a songwriter” to something like “ I have fun writing song” which is kind of diminishing in a way lol…
peace

I haven’t touched a mouse in 10 years, at least… trackballs are so much better.

And just a month after I wrote this praise for trackballs, the oldest one kicked the bucket. :-)

For me, I’m pratically a virgin to recording and mixing MIDI and Audio.

Hardware: Key to creative music making. The Motif XS is practical for several reasons, not the least of which are its ability to transport an incredible bank of voices for live play. I chose the XS8 with its hammer-balanced keys because its closer to a real piano feel so I don’t become “out of practice” when I play an real piano. A workstation vs. an ordinary synthesizer means cost savings when I don’t have to purchase a separate mixing board or other sound enhancing devices (applies to software as well).

Software: Key to music enhancment. Wow, Halion One, XS Editor, and Cubase are very powerful applications for recording and mixing. Another bonus is the computer with a larger screen and interactive components (mouse, etc.) which make for rapid changes during editing, playback, etc. XS takes a little longer to navigate between tracks, Eq’s, etc. Also, it’s nice to tweak a mix then send it back to Motif for futher enhancing or, someday, to take on the road.

Summary: I think there are many benefits to both software and hardware. Plus, I saved a lot of $$ by purchasing the Motif XS8 and its accompanying software vs. keyboard, mixer, etc., piecemeal.

KT

It’s all about workflow...........I am a keyboard player not a computer programmer.  The computer sounds great, looks great and if it’s hidden inside a keyboard, who will know the difference.

The mouse is just not a musically inspiring interface.

The qwerty keyboard is for writing letters and doing spreadsheets.

But, I still enjoy paper based books, so maybe I am old school.

I don’t think I’d every enjoy surfing the forums with a Keyboard workstation.

It’s all about the workflow.

Interesting posts on this topic, and each one well worth reviewing.

I should point out that in professional music production, there is no such
thing as either/or. Computers and hardware synths are used equally. You may be able go start an album’s worth of ideas on the Motif XS, but you can’t finish an album and deliver it to a label in Motif XS format. If you’re delivering something for a remix, you send it in the DAW format that is requested (usually Pro Tools). In fact, I’d say virtually all
forms of project delivery are in a DAW format, stereo WAV or AIFF file,
or separate sub-mixed files (called “stems").

For my way of working, I use the XS as a sound source, combined with other
sound sources, either hardware or software. A good sound is a good sound,
whether t comes from a hardware synth or a software synth. I disagree that
anyone can tell whether a track was done entirely with softsynths. Case in point - most fans of metal never realize that the drums on metal records are always combinations of real drums and triggered samples. Drum replacement is very common on tracks these days, regardless of genre.

Some people complain that to fire up a computer, launch a DAW, and put up some softsynths is a creative buzz-kill. I know some people who are way faster on a computer DAW than they are on the Motif XS - it’s all in what you’re familiar with. People who complain about DAW’s are, in my experience, mostly confused about them because they appear to offer too many choices. That isn’t the case for people who are very comfortable with computer-based music production. These people are right at home in Cubase or Logic or Performer or Pro Tools - it’s their
preferred zone.

It does come down to what you prefer to use. There is no such thing as
“better”, though. There is only what is appropriate.

I know this is an old thread, but here’s a point no one brought up yet.

Would you buy a musical instrument for composing if you knew that you must toss it in 10 years? Probably not. But we do buy a computer under the same circumstances?

The average creative artist takes much more than a decade to perfect his skill to achieve his first major work. George Gershwin wrote Rhapsody in Blue after 16 years of learning. George Lucas made American Graffiti after 13 years of learning. Now imagine if Gershwin developed all his skills on a computer that he had to toss after 10 years due to a CPU migration. With software that can’t be migrated, because it’s protection checks for system ID, hardware IDs, the company is gone or just ceased supporting the software (like Avid did Turbosynth) or the dongle requires a special port like ADB that went the way of the dodo. Or it requires USB that may soon follow ADB, with the advent of Thunderbolt.

Do you think this is an exception? Apple changed its CPU every 10 years. They did it in 1984, in 1994 and 2004. With every CPU migration, if you had software as described above, you could wave it bye bye. Computer companies love to fret how their products work as good or better than dedicated hardware. But not one ever added, “except you’ll probably have to toss it in less than 10 years.”

We just had a conversation about this on discussions.apple.com. I remarked: “Is seeing a Mac like a toaster that needs to be tossed every 10 years Apple’s official position? If it is, for truth in advertising, a few slogans might need to be expanded a bit. Like “Logic: A huge step forward for musicians. Until you must toss it” “Final Cut: The leading post-production suite. Until you must toss it” 30 seconds after I posted this, discussion.apple.com became temporarily unavailable. Another 30 seconds later, it returned. My post was gone as if it never existed. It was easier to kill it than to debunk it. Looks like I really hit a raw nerve.

This is why I shudder when I think, Yamaha *might* picture the future of workstation as a device tethered around a home computer. Good bye “old but working”, welcome “tossed in 10 years with the host CPU.” (Korg Oasys PCI, anyone?) I really hope Yamaha won’t go down that path. Honest, I love my Linux box. The one with 88 keys called XS8. Let’s just keep evolving *this* computer concept, shall we? :-)

Very right indeed.

However, you can still play like heaven on 40 year old instruments,
be it mechanical or electronic gear.

So, down with the computers!

... except this one, for a moment.
;JOOP!

Given all you guys said, how come PCs are used for producing most of the music we hear on the radio, or , am I wrong?

One of the amazing developments in this forum over the past few years is that todays forum members can dig up threads from a year ago but no one seems to be able to lookup questions that have been answered just last week??? Just saying…

NIce_boy - 26 February 2011 07:32 AM

Given all you guys said, how come PCs are used for producing most of the music we hear on the radio, or , am I wrong?

+1

There is a huge difference between having fun making or playing music with a workstation, and producing a serious professional recording.

The XS is a very good workstation, no one denies that its sound quality is excellent. But comparing it with a professional DAW and other professional software instruments is silly. Each thing has its place.